Growing concern about the possible abandonment of Saturday's star-studded card at Cheltenham has prompted officials to make plans to save some or all of its races and stage them on an alternative date. Details are in short supply but it is thought that one of the options being considered is simply holding the whole card over to Sunday.

"Over the last few days, we've been discussing the options for rescheduling Festival Trials day, should it not be able to take place on Saturday," said Andy Clifton, a spokesman for Cheltenham racecourse. "We're not in a position to go into details just now," he added but expressed the hope that more news might be available at some point , by which time more will be known about likely weather conditions this weekend.

Robin Mounsey, a spokesman for the British Horseracing Authority, echoed those comments. "Contingency plans are being considered but it is far too early to suggest what will happen," he said.

It remains the case that the turf itself is unfrozen and raceable, groundsmen having laid frost covers all around the course a week ago but the covers are under snow, cannot be moved and no thaw is yet evident. More snow is forecast for Tuesday.

Coral opened a market as to whether Cheltenham's card would go ahead as scheduled, offering 4-6 that it would and 11-10 that it would not. Within two hours, abandonment was backed down to 4-6 favourite.

Channel 4 are understood to have been involved in the discussions about alternative dates for Festival Trials day but a spokeswoman for the broadcaster would not be drawn about whether the card might be shown if held over to Sunday afternoon, for which the 1982 film Annie is scheduled. Without coverage by Channel 4, the card's sponsors are unlikely to be willing to make the same commitment to prize money as for Saturday.

But prize money may not be the main motivating force for connections of many of the 133 entrants for Festival Trials day, who are instead likely to be focused on a desire to test their horses at Cheltenham's final meeting before the March Festival. Bobs Worth, Grand Crus and Imperial Commander are among the big names entered for the Argento Chase, while Oscar Whisky and Peddlers Cross are in the Cleeve Hurdle. Tidal Bay is entered for both while the rest of the card features The New One, Bold Sir Brian and Katenko.

Imperial Commander was reported to be "great" and "lovely" for his first outing in almost two years by his trainer, Nigel Twiston-Davies, who said: "I'm really looking forward to running him. He hasn't had a lot of racing in his life and I don't see why he can't be as good as he was."

In support of that contention, Twiston-Davies pointed to his recently retired Hello Bud, who came close to a career best performance in his final race last month, winning Aintree's Becher Chase three weeks before his official 15th birthday. But the trainer, who is based about 12 miles east of Cheltenham, said he was not optimistic that the track would be able to race. "I think they're being a bit hopeful," he said . "I don't think it's going to melt in time."

Twiston-Davies queried why, if snow is the only problem, it could not simply be shovelled off to the side of the course. In response, Clifton said: "It's not quite as simple as that," but offered the assurance that if, by Thursday, it appeared the meeting could be saved by such a means, it would be done.